Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I go to an Ariens dealer who also has husqvarna and toro and says Ariens is the best ,Toro is o.k. and husqvarna is not that good.Then I go to a store where the sales people have Toro shirts on but also sell Simplicity.They tell me Toro is just as good as Simplicity and the Toro gear case although aluminum is just as strong as Simplicities cast iron gear case.How can that be??All I read here is that cast iron auger gearcase is the best and more durable than aluminum.Then I go to an Ariens dealer who tells me the small ariens will throw snow as far as the 11hp deluxe because the impellers both spin at the same r.p.m.s. Then I read on this site that Craftsman snowblowers are junk.Meanwhile I have had a 5hp 22" width snowblower from Sears for 4yrs and have not put 1 dime into it as far as repairs go.So who is telling the truth??A lot of people on this forum are always talking about problems with their Ariens hmmmm so which brand is truly reliable??For $1500 or more I expect to spend no money on repairs on those top snowblowers for 15 plus yrs.Otherwise it's cheaper to buy a craftsman every 7yrs and not have to spend anything on maintenance or repairs.And yes they will last 7yrs trouble free.....